Understanding why you are spending this day together, despite having split, is key to its success. You are aligned in wanting to create a wonderful Christmas and joyful memories for your children. If you have clear intentions — and have agreed on tricky details, from whether you two will exchange gifts to topics you won’t talk about — there will be less anxiety and no false expectations for the adults or the kids.

How could anyone feel joyful, grateful, social, present, thoughtful, and productive all at the same time? You can’t. It’s impossible.

For many people, the festive season seems to be full speed ahead as they race to hold it all together.

If all of this sounds a little too familiar and you notice yourself overwhelmed, irritable, or even disconnected by the whirlwind of holiday stress, it’s time to slow down and start enjoying the season

A new connection removes the illusion of being in control. So how do you know if you're truly ready for dating? Perhaps you've asked yourself this question multiple times throughout the course of therapy or “doing the work”, but you’re not quite sure.

Grief tends to intensify around meaningful dates tied to tradition and connection—like the holidays—so if you don’t quite feel up to celebrating, it’s perfectly normal, as grief can often feel heavier during the festive season.

Rest requires safety, and for many trauma survivors, safety isn’t something the body recognises easily.

We all have emotional needs, but many of us weren’t taught how to effectively communicate and regulate those needs. As a result, emotional repression, abandonment wounds, and people-pleasing take control, leading to anxious behaviors that cause shame around our emotional needs.